Iron Man / Hellcat Annual #1 (2022)

Brief Synopsis Patsy Walker jolts awake during a plane flight to San Francisco due to a nightmare of growing claws at her wedding to Iron Man. On arrival, she meets up with Hedy Wolfe, and they drive to the McConnell Manor, a dilapidated house belonging to Patsy's late mother Dorothy. The manor has recently come to light, but Patsy had heard it burned down when Dorothy was a child. Seeing that the manor is fully-furnished, Patsy and Hedy decide to stay the night. A growling noise lures Patsy to the attic, where she finds her long-lost stuffed bunny named Buttons. Patsy goes to sleep, but the next morning she finds the guest room where Hedy stayed covered in blood, with no trace of her friend. After Patsy calls Tony in panic, Buttons comes to life. It mentions Patsy her claws, and when it places its paws on Patsy's hand, she loses consciousness. Patsy wakes up to find herself walking into the lobby of the manor, dressed in a gown modelled after her Hellcat costume, where all of her family members are holding a party, and Dorothy is the host. One of the guests is Patsy's dead ex-husband, Buzz Baxter, who turns into the monstrous canine Mad-Dog. Patsy realizes she has been transported back to Hell. Iron Man arrives to the McConnell Manor to find Patsy unconscious, and Buttons agrees to send him to wherever Patsy is. As she continues fighting Baxter, Patsy is confronted by Blackheart, who recalls that he holds everyone in the McConnell clan down in Hell. He also reveals that he rose the manor from ashes and kidnapped Hedy to lure her. He claims that Patsy becomes more powerful in Hell, and offers to free her family in exchange for accepting a valuable place in his and Mephisto's army for an incoming war. Iron Man arrives at the scene, but Blackheart quickly incapacitates him by melting his armor. Patsy hears Buttons' voice reminding her to use her claws, and she notices her nails have grown into claws. She uses them to burrow into Blackheart's chest and tear a sphere off of him, which symbolizes his hold on her family. After the orb flashes a bright light, Patsy, Tony and Hedy wake up returned to the real world. Patsy decides to stay in the manor to investigate what more is there at play, while Iron Man and Hedy leave. Patsy confronts Buttons, having recognized that its voice belongs to her ex-husband, Daimon Hellstrom. Daimon reveals that he was exiled and cast out into his current form by Mephisto as part of his and Blackheart's preparations for taking over the netherworld. He offers Patsy to ally again, but Patsy promptly punts him out of the manor and walks back inside. Detailed Synopsis At the altar of a wedding, a host introduces the guests to Iron Man and Patsy Walker, calling the couple "Mister and Missus Hell-Iron." Patsy is wearing a wedding dress with blue opera gloves, while Tony is wearing a tuxedo on top of his fully-suited Iron Man Armor. The guests include many heroes, as well as the Space Friends. Tony and Patsy have their first dance as they rejoice in the fact that Patsy changed her mind about the marriage. The Silver Surfer and Doctor Doom are sharing a table. They overlook the couple and gossip over Doom likening Patsy to actress . The host announces that it's time to cut the cake, as two waiters approach the couple with a wedding cake topped off my figurines of the two heroes. After quipping about not shoving cake in each other's mouths, Patsy holds Tony's hands as he prepares to slice the cake, but the knife breaks in contact. Patsy is astonished, and Tony tells her to just use her claws. She raises her hand to see her nails have turned into claws that are bursting out of her gloves, and the ambient light turns to green. Patsy slashes the cake to find it's filled with dirt. She becomes nauseated, while Tony and the guests behind her appear oblivious. Sweating, Patsy jolts awake while on a plane seat. She quickly reaches to an air sickness bag and vomits into it, much to the concern of the passenger next to her, but she brushes it off as sickness caused by the smell of airplane food. The man recognizes her as Patsy Walker and starts leaning towards her, making her uncomfortable. He explains that he grew up reading stories about her and didn't know that she was a real person until later. He admits to having a crush on Patsy, and asks her for her plans in San Francisco. Shying away, Patsy tells him that she is dealing with family stuff over the weekend. The man suggests going on a date, but Patsy suddenly slaps him. When he protests, she points out that she's a telepath. At the San Francisco International Airport, Patsy is leaving the departures terminal and braces herself to meet up with Hedy Wolfe, who is waving at her from a distance and calling her name. Hedy makes a backhanded comment about Patsy flying in economic class, and criticizes her floral-printed luggage, obliviously asking if she grabbed the wrong one. The duo heads to the exit, as Patsy remarks that she didn't need Hedy to drive her, but Hedy insists they need to catch up. As they cross the Golden Gate Bridge, Hedy talks about hosting an expensive launch party for a jazz record, and then boasts about spending the weekends with a vegetable oil magnate named Spalding Grantham. Patsy is looking out of the window with disinterest, making minimal responses. Hedy comments on Patsy just inheriting an old house. Patsy comments that it had been in her family for years, but her mother Dorothy had kept it off the books. She also recalls that the estate attorneys had been trying to get a hold of her for months, but she was in her adventure in outer space with Iron Man. Hedy makes a remark about Spalding criticizing Stark's taste in corporate bonds. The car arrives at the front of a slightly dilapidated two-story townhouse. In between Hedy maligning it, Patsy identifies the building as the McConnell Manor, named after her mother's maiden name. After getting out of the car, Patsy mentions that her mother claimed it had burned down when she was a kid, and wonders why would Dorothy lie about it. The pair reaches the lobby, and they find it's fully furnished, albeit covered in dust. Patsy explains that her mother had houses stashed everywhere, and when Hedy asks about it, she contemplates refurbishing it to either sell or rent it. Hedy sneers about Patsy making a secret base under it. With contempt, Hedy suggests getting Spalding's help, since's he is involved in real estate. Patsy interrupts her to remark that if Hedy had bothered to invest any interest in her life, she'd know Patsy garnered telepathy, which lets her know that Grantham had broken up with Hedy weeks ago. Hedy is offended that Patsy used her powers on her, and in order to comfort her, Patsy confides in her that she and Tony are taking a break. As they sit down on a dusty couch, Patsy explains that this is because she turned down Stark's marriage proposal due to her unlucky track record with marriages. Hedy brings up her other previous romantic interest, Belial, and reveals that everything was okay until he ate a kid during their honeymoon. She also admits that she lost her job after forgetting to invite to the album launch. She tells Patsy that she could use a friend, and Patsy reciprocates. Hedy also admits that when she heard Patsy had inherited this house, she had the idea of staying for free and help fixing it up. Patsy concedes that it is fully furnished, and thinks about canceling her hotel room. Hedy happily tells her that they can have a sleepover like old times, and reveals that she already brought her things. Later at night, Patsy is walking around while eating a box of lo mein. Her compliment of Hedy's choice of restaurant is interrupted when she hears a growl from the attic. Patsy resigns herself and climbs up. Inside a box labelled for her bedroom belongings, Patsy finds a stuffed bunny that she recognizes as Buttons. Back down, Hedy is at the bathroom door telling Patsy about the washing machine still working when she notices Patsy carrying the bunny and asks about it. Patsy tells her that Buttons is her long-lost first ever stuffed animal. Hedy invites Patsy to watch in the VCR of the TV downstairs, but she declines because she feels tired due to the jet lag. Arriving at her room, Patsy tucks herself into bed and falls asleep with Buttons at her side on the pillow. She falls asleep. The next day, the sunlight jolts Patsy awake. She walks down the stairs, noticing on her watch that it's ten-thirty. She calls for Hedy repeatedly, and is shocked to find her room splattered with blood. Patsy storms back into her room and calls Tony on her phone, telling him in panic about the scene she has witnessed. All the way back in New York, Tony is sitting on his couch, holding his phone on his shoulder while putting on the boots of his armor. He tells Patsy he'll be there in thirty-three minutes. Behind Patsy, Buttons suddenly stands up on its own, mentioning Patsy her claws. She turns around and screams, dropping her phone. The stuffed animal repeats its words as Patsy wonders if she hurt Hedy. The bunny grabs Patsy's hand and tells her that she needs to hurry, or she's going to be late. As she asks what is it talking about, or how is it even talking, Patsy drifts into sleep. Patsy wakes up to find herself dressed in a gown modelled after her Hellcat costume. She is walking down the stairwell of the manor's lobby, where a formal party is being held. In her inner monologue, she states that she finds this place familiar, even though she had never been to McConnell Manor. She begins to recognize many people until she realizes she's walking towards her entire family. Meanwhile, Iron Man rushes into the manor in the real world, calling out to Patsy. She finds the blood-splattered room, and flies up to Patsy's room, screaming her name. He finds Patsy, and tries to wake her up. Buttons tells him that he can't wake her up, that she is where she belongs now. Back at the party, Patsy finishes walking down the stairs to meet with her mother Dorothy, who is hosting the event. Dorothy greets her daughter and tells her that she missed her, but, with an unsettling smile, she also tells Patsy that she shouldn't be here. Patsy is then approached from behind by Buzz Baxter, her first ex-husband. In her inner monologue, Patsy recalls that he is as dead as her mother. He leans forwards and tells Patsy that he knew she couldn't stay away. Hesitantly, Patsy tells him that she was just leaving. Patsy escorts Dorothy away from Buzz, telling her to find Hedy and get out. Buzz grabs Patsy by the arm and tells her that she can't leave as he turns into the monstrous canine Mad-Dog. Patsy thinks to herself that she has realized the reason this place feels familiar is that she's actually back in Hell. In the real world, Iron Man is holding Buttons and threatening to blast it with a repulsor if it doesn't wake up Patsy. The stuffed bunny tells him that only she has the power to return. Tony asks how to get to where she is, and confirms that he is sure when the bunny asks. Buttons extends its paw and tells Iron Man to give him his bare hand. Tony drops his gauntlet, touches the stuffed toy, and leans asleep against the wall. In Hell, Patsy is fighting Mad-Dog. He breathes fire towards her, but she emerges with only her clothes partially damaged. She notices to herself that she must have spent enough time in Hell to have gotten used to the fire. She asks about Hedy, and Buzz reveals that she is the guest of honor. In the next room over, Hedy is sitting on a chair, distraught and surrounded by skinless creatures. Buzz apologizes if these creatures, the Blood Scourges, made a mess of the manor's guest room, since that happens when "they" bring someone down to Hell by force. When Patsy questions the plurality, Blackheart reveals himself standing next to Mad-Dog, and states that it means himself. He explains that he holds everyone in the McConnell clan in Hell with him, and recalls Patsy's mother promising her, but Patsy refused to come. Patsy deduces that he took Dorothy instead, but Blackheart mentions that he charged interest and the souls of every family member are encased in his very being. Blackheart also reveals that in addition to kidnapping Hedy to get Patsy's attention, he also raised the McConnel Manor from ashes. As Patsy stands guard, Blackheart offers to free everyone if she turns herself over. Patsy states that she won't be a prisoner of Hell again, and Blackheart clarifies that wouldn't be the case. He asks Patsy if she doesn't feel that she is one of them, and that the dark realm is her true home. He tells Patsy that she's stronger here, and in time she would be a valuable captain to the army of his father Mephisto, to serve with great command in an incoming war. Patsy shoots him down, and Blackheart reiterates the offer, clarifying that to join him and Mephisto, she needs to do so willingly. He also tells Patsy that he knows she senses the power coursing through her, born of her native netherworld. Iron Man appears behind Blackheart and threatens to blast him. The villain turns around and expresses pity, since Iron Man is in a place he doesn't understand. He asks Tony if he doesn't know that iron melts if the fire grows hot enough, and Tony's suit begins to liquefy on top of him, causing him to scream in pain and lose his balance. Patsy lunges at Blackheart, but he swats her away, telling her that this is where she belongs. Patsy thinks to herself that she is going to lose when she hears Buttons calling out her name. Buzz starts kicking Patsy while she's down, and Buttons mentions Patsy's claws. As Hedy stands up and grabs the chair, Patsy wonders why is Buttons' voice so familiar. Running past the Blood Scourges, Hedy smashes the chair into Blackheart with little effect. In retaliation, Blackheart throws her at Iron Man, who was just getting back up. Buttons tells Patsy to use her claws, and she looks at her hand to see her nails have turned into claws that are bursting out of her gloves. In her inner monologue, Patsy states that Blackheart was right, that she can feel this place's Hellish power. Patsy pounces Blackheart and sinks her claws into his chest. She recalls that he mentioned the souls of her family are encased within him, and exclaims that not anymore as she tears an orb out of his chest, much to his chagrin, and it flashes a bright light. Patsy and Tony wake up next to each other. They hold each other briefly before Hedy rushes to hug Patsy and both rejoice in being safe. Hedy quips that they will need to repaint the guest room before selling the house. Patsy comes back to Tony and thanks him. Later, Iron Man and Patsy are standing at the entrance of the house. He asks Patsy if she's sure about staying at the manor. She assures Stark that there is something more at play, and needs to look into it. Hedy is preparing to board her car while asserting that she is not staying, but tells Patsy to call her for lunch, and bids farewell. Tony tells Patsy that she tapped her into something scary and warns her about playing with fire. She promises she will be careful, and Tony takes flight. An apparition of Dorothy stands behind Patsy. She asks her mother if she is okay, and she replies that she and the rest of her family have never been better. Patsy gets back into the house as the apparition vanishes, thanking Patsy. Patsy approaches Buttons, who is sitting on the couch, and tells it to have a talk, calling it Daimon. The stuffed animal brings up that Mephisto and Blackheart are planning to take over for the netherworld. He explains that as the true Son of Satan, they see him as a rival heir, which resulted in his forced exile and being trapped in the form of the stuffed bunny. Patsy admits that Daimon is still cute, albeit in a different way, and remarks that he manipulated her, something that she thought she would never let him do again. Daimon asks her if she would believe that he still cares about her and her family, and his mother-in-law. Patsy remarks that she was coming around until he said the latter. Extending his paw, Daimon affirms that Patsy felt the power below, that she was much stronger there, and offers Patsy to become allies again. The scene cuts to Patsy punting Daimon outside into the sky. She gets back inside and closes the other, exclaiming that "like Hell" they will. She throws herself on the couch, and repeats herself for emphasis.